BLANCHE'S LETTERS. THE BLUSH-BATTERY AND OTHER

THINGS.

Park Lane. DEAREST DAPHNE,- With panniers and ringlets, blushing has come in, the eyelids are occasionally lowered, fans are fluttered (not waved), and, instead of the dear, nicky little expressions that are such a comfort and used to help one so sweetly on one's way through life, it's correct to be just a little bit rather formal and arrangée and to use whole words and not nice little bits of words.

66

accordingly. The Gallery was turned "form" him. Figurez-vous cela! He's into a lovely forest, and, instead of quite a nice boy and threatens to be dancing, people just rushed about, handsome when he's a little less of climbed the trees, and played hide-and-an ingénu. At present he's got the seek among them, chattering all the quaintest beliefs and convictions. It time in monkey fashion. Nothing but seems almost a pity to cure him of nuts at the buffet. The Bullyon-them-they make him so amusing! Boundermere people managed to get He thinks all women are angels. in somehow, and he made such an "Quite right, my dear boy, and very absolutely top-hole orang-outang that sweet of you!" I told him. "We are everyone almost quite forgave them for all angels as a rule-only every woman being there. Tiny Flummery came as you meet is an exception!" Another a hurdy-gurdy monkey, in a little green of his lovely ideas is that people give velvet frock and cap, with cymbals to parties "for the pleasure of seeing their clash. Norty said it was an absurd friends!" anachronism, for, as there were no With regard to our juvenile-antiques, As blushing is by way of being a lost hurdy-gurdies a million years ago, there too, he shows himself fearfully young. art, Fallalérie, of Bond Street, has couldn't be any hurdy-gurdy monkeys He said of one of our most popular brought out a darling, teeny weeny in velvet frocks and caps, with cymbals evergreens, "Why does that old woman Panniers-and-Ringlets Blush-Bat-to clash. I asked dear Professor Dims- dress and behave as if she were ninetery." It lies just cosily perdu under dale about it, and he said certainly it teen? I call it disgusting." "Bo-Bo," a necklace, and, in fingering your neck- was an anachronism, but that the I told him, "there are no old women, lace in the dear old, bashful, moss- whole affair was an anachronism, mon cher. In civilized society, every grown way, you just touch the tiny because a million years ago there were woman is considered young till she's battery when you think a blush would not only no hurdy-gurdies but no proved old-and even then she's be convenable, and you get a little monkeys either, and we were all float-strongly recommended to mercy! And shock that not only produces the ing about in the water in the form of as for Popsy, Lady Ramsgate, younger requisite blush, but lowers the eyelids jelly-fish. boys than you have been seriously épris at the same time. That's a lovely idea for a hot-weather of her not so very long ago, and last Popsy, Lady Ramsgate, who is party, isn't it, dearest? The only diffi-year Ninny ffollyott tried to shoot always very much on the premises, is culty would be in getting up as a jelly-himself because she said she wouldn't all panniers and ringlets just now, but fish. But no doubt Olga would be marry him-or because she said she she doesn't subdue herself quite enough able to do something for us in greeny-would-I really forget which." to be altogether It. Norty told me she white mousseline-de-soie, with plenty Truly he brings the scent of the hay was his partner at dinner the other of sequins and silk sea-weed. over the footlights, and yet he can say evening, and she was so enormously Hugh Daubeny, the Flummerys' things sometimes. The other day he ringletty and so alarmingly lively and artist cousin, has cut the old traditional asked me whether the avoidance of the confidential that her ringlets were stodgy school of painting, as repre-obvious, in which he's been duly several times in his soup! She had sented by the Academy (which never trained, should be carried so far “that such an affreux experience with her accepted one of his works), and has a fellow ought not to admire the pretblush-battery at the Flummerys' last done ever so much better since he tiest and most charming woman he night! She was chatting to Curly struck out entirely on his own, follow-knows?" I thought it very nicely put, Chaloner, and really, my dear, was ing neither the old nor any of the new and with a look, too, that shows he's playing up to her ringlets and panniers styles. He paints everything double, making quite progress. It's a pretty à merveille-head a little drooped to my dear, just as we really see things little point that I shall certainly bring one side, fan fluttering, toes of her shoes till it's corrected by something in the up for discussion at the next sympoput primly together, little, breathy mid-back of our heads or somewhere. He sium of the Antibanalites. I told BoVictorian laugh at nothing in particular has a one-man show on at Mayfair Bo, "That is perhaps the only case in -all quite well done. Then she thought Hall, which is making a giddy sensa- which an Antibanalite may commit the a blush would come in handy, and she tion. I went there yesterday, and obvious without reproach. You are fingered her necklace and pressed her thought it simply most enormously learning your lesson, my dear boy, and tiny battery. Whether there was some- clever! There's a portrait of dear have a proper horror of the usual and thing wrong with the thing or she Stella Clackmannan that looks twenty-the expected, but even in that you must pressed too hard, no one seems to know, five feet high and has a double set of have an eye on the swing of the pendubut anyhow the blush went wrong-it features. It's so appalling that you lum. It's getting so usual now to be was much too deep, and it wouldn't go feel at once it must be a work of the unusual that by-and-by the most unaway, and her eyes, instead of droop-highest genius. usual thing will be to be quite usual." ing, opened quite quite wide, and she Oh, my dear, your Blanche is coming Ever thine, BLANCHE. came out of her chair with a jump! out in rather a new role. It's in this Poor old dear! she looked simply way. Some distant people of ours, the horrid! They took her into the air Havilands, asked me to chaperon a boy and the battery was taken off. People who's lately dropped into the title rather say there'll be a slump now in unexpectedly (he succeeded a first uncle Fallalérie's patent blush-producers. once removed, or something of that The Million-Years-Ago dance at the kind). His mother's a quiet country Piccadilly Gallery was a shrieking widow, who knows rather less than success. It wasn't really a dance, for, nothing about anything, and she asked of course, as long ago as that we were me to introduce her boy in town this We don't know how France felt about

"The initial cost of the war to Germany, Mr. Lawson tells us, was £77,550,000. But France paid an indemnity of £213,000,000, and ceded the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, which have been valued at £64,000,000. These two sums amount to £199,450,000, which subtracted from £77,550,000, left the Germans with a balance of £200,000,000, all but half a million." Saturday Review.

TWO OF OUR CONQUERORS.

A CONTRAST.

IT is a fortunate circumstance for Londoners that at the same moment PAVLOVA and GENÉE are dancing divinely in rival halls; for probably there have never been more remarkable or more charming priestesses of Terpsichore than these, and both are at their best. Too long has America claimed GENÉE; but now that she is our own again let everyone who prizes thistledown steps, humanity and fun hasten to see her.

With the Palace, where PAVLOVA reigns and enthralls, and the Coliseum, which GENÉE just now is touching with radiance, so close together, a comparison between this blest pair of dancers is almost inevitable; and certainly it is odorous, for there is so much room for both. They do not compete; they supplement each other and make a perfect harmony.

Although theirs the same lovely and joyous art, the two dancers could not well be separated by wider divergences: the one the product of that strange, sombre, decadent country where East and West meet and barbarism seems never far distant; the other a merry blonde from busy prosperous Denmark. Each appeals to a different mood. When it comes to actual dancing-to the precision and fluidity of the steps and movements-there is little to choose; PAVLOVA may be perhaps a shade more astoundingly accomplished. But for the most part our preference is not for the execution but for the executant. We like PAVLOVA best, or GENEE best, according to our temperament, or according, as I say, to our Dear Old Lady. "THEY TELL ME THERE'S A VERY BEAUTIFUL SPECIMEN OF THE mood. PAVLOVA is more languorous, 'HUNNEMANNIA FUMARIEFOLIA' IN THIS EXHIBITION. PLEASE TAKE ME TO IT!" more dangerous, more exotic; GENÉE

is a kitten.

is quicker, gay and jocund. PAVLOVA faces and only one expression for each; one can see making some kind of a has more than an Oriental suggestion; and here is one of the chief points of brave effort with the king and the GENÉE is one of us-a Northerner. contrast between GENEE and herself, unhappy young soldier, although never PAVLOVA is au fond melancholy; GENEE for GENÉE is not only a dancer but an to the point of touching the emotions, actress, with a play and range of as GENÉE does; but GENÉE one cannot animation on her little mischievous imagine for a moment in the vinous upturned features such as many an amorous ecstasy of that wonderful actress who is actress and nothing else would give her pearls for.

The Russian is more beautiful; she has, as one imagines, a rarer beauty than any of her most illustrious preautumnal riot. Therein lies the esdecessors, most of whom had a tensential difference between these two dency to thick ankles and powerful legs. In the little piece in which GENEE is superb artists. PAVLOVA is for the PAVLOVA might never have done any- now performing an episode in the life sophistical; GENEE for the simple. thing but ride in a carriage or recline of one of the most famous dancers of GENEE'S little play should be seen on a sofa-so soft and graceful is she; all, the Belgian CAMARGO-most of the for its ensemble as well as for GENÉE. and her shoulders are never to be emotions pass across her face: joy, The story is a pretty one; the setting forgotten. But her face lacks ex- disappointment, triumph, hope, fear, is distinguished; the costumes and pression. Her face, one says; yet as content; while now and then, as when colours are a delight. If only the a matter of curious fact PAVLOVA has she pretends that the king has repaid Coliseum management would announce two faces, not as Janus had, but as the boon, she is the incarnation of on the posters and in the advertisea charming woman may have who is roguishness and the very spirit of ments the precise hour at which it capable of apathy. One is amiable, the teasing. begins all London would arrange its other is set, and they are strangely PAVLOVA would be lost here-just as time to go there; but, as it is, many different: almost they might belong GENÉE would be lost in the Bacchanale, persons are not prepared to face the

Mistress (whose chauffeur has just informed her that Fido has been shut up in the stable because he leapt up at a strange lady in the row!). "How ODD OF HIM! DO YOU SUPPOSE HE THOUGHT IT WAS ME?" Chauffeur. "COULDN'T SAY WHAT HE THOUGHT, MY LADY."

THE NEW ORDER OF THINGS.

TRADE UNIONIST. "WHO'S THE LADY?"

MR. PUNCH. "THAT'S JUSTICE. SHE WEIGHS ARGUMENTS FIRST, AND THEN, IF NECESSARY, SHE USES HER SWORD."

TRADE UNIONIST. "AH! THAT'S WHERE WE DIFFER. I'M ALL FOR STRIKIN' FIRST,

Mistress (whose chauffeur has just informed her that Fido has been shut up in the stable because he leapt up at a strange lady in the road). "How ODD OF HIM! DO YOU SUPPOSE HE THOUGHT IT WAS ME?"